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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Fredericksburg City Council Election Canvass - May 12, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 12, 2026

BodyFredericksburg, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, May 12, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Speaker 1

0:00

It's 10 43.

0:01

I'll call this meeting to order

Unassigned speaker

0:03

our

Speaker 1

0:04

oral business today.

0:05

We do have the required presence of city council paper here today.

0:10

And we have the election official here.

0:13

We're here to canvas the recent election.

0:16

Mr.

0:17

Ronnie.

Speaker 2

0:17

Yes, thank you for the delay.

0:25

Actually, put two votes in the wrong column.

0:28

And I didn't want to, those didn't matter, but the spot they went.

0:32

So if you'll look at the what's on

Unassigned speaker

0:34

your

Speaker 2

0:35

screen up there in your mayor oral election, Mr.

0:42

Briley with 1163, 51% would be the declared winner.

Speaker 1

0:53

Go ahead.

0:55

I see if you can control the mic on the podium, it's a little hot.

0:59

Thank

Unassigned speaker

0:59

you.

Speaker 2

1:00

The uh and uh your two council uh chamber members, your new ones, one's not so new, but I won't call you old.

Speaker 1

1:11

And over.

Speaker 2

1:12

No, I'm not uh the top two are uh Tony Klein and Gary Neffendorf.

1:19

Um the only comment that I have about this for the two one.

1:26

Thank you, Mr.

1:27

Mayor, for being

Unassigned speaker

1:28

there

Speaker 2

1:29

the other night, and the fact that the outcome of the election was almost immediately known.

1:37

Um there's tension in our county uh about that the delay in having these came down to the fact that because we did um one precinct for this election and the found election combined, it didn't give us any grace room on what is required by uh a in an election that is scored electronically, as this one was.

2:15

Usually you only have to have two or three three precincts and a couple of races.

2:20

In this case, we did a complete recount of the election hand and count, and we didn't get done till 2 30 or so yesterday, and we had already announced it at two o'clock we were gonna

Unassigned speaker

2:34

Speaker 2

2:34

in anyway.

2:36

So maybe somewhere at the end of that, those two ballots just got misread in our computer.

2:41

I have an excellent staff, and they found it while I was sitting beside Tony Klein in the commissioner's court meeting.

2:51

Uh, and so they've actually corrected what you're looking at is there.

2:55

The other comment, I don't believe this is my personal comment.

3:00

I don't believe the closeness of the election reflects anything in the mayor's reflects anything other than we had two good candidates, and when we have people like that wanting to serve, I think that's a good thing.

3:17

So that's the way I see this election.

3:19

It wasn't us versus them, and I hope that's that reading is correct.

3:26

Um questions you might

Unassigned speaker

3:28

have.

Speaker 3

3:31

Hearing none, no one.

3:37

So what we have

Speaker 2

3:39

over here, there are two books.

3:41

The one that's wide open over there that we have a signature sheet that we have asked Mr.

3:47

Watson and uh Mr.

3:49

Hooper to sign along with Lenny.

3:52

I will sign it.

3:53

It will be attested to by the county clerk, and our seal will be placed on

Unassigned speaker

3:59

it.

Speaker 2

4:00

Uh we will do that after the board school board meets tomorrow night, and canvas is their

Unassigned speaker

4:08

numbers.

Speaker 2

4:09

Um the other book, the thin one is just fun.

4:14

That's book number one for elections in Gillespie County, and it goes back to 1904, and it's just fun to go back and see that the way they did it.

4:28

Oh, I wouldn't be in this job if that were the way we were doing it now.

4:32

I can promise you that.

4:33

But it's kind of fun, and and I've found names of people who are relatives of people that I now know here after being in the county.

4:42

So we we'll sign those, and uh, if there are no other questions, that's really all we have.

4:50

Anyone out here?

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Summary of Proceedings

Fredericksburg City Council Election Canvass - May 12, 2026

The Fredericksburg City Council convened in a special session called to order at 10:43 a.m. on May 12, 2026, to canvass the results of the May 2, 2026, General Election. The primary business was verifying and accepting the certified election returns presented by Gillespie County Elections Administrator Jim Riley.

Discussion Items

Election Results Presentation: Elections Administrator Jim Riley presented the certified results. He rectified a minor error involving two ballots that were placed in the wrong column, which did not affect the final outcomes.
Mayor's Race: The official tally declared Mr. Briley the winner with 1,163 votes, representing 51% of the vote.
City Council Race: The top two vote-getters elected to the City Council were Tony Klein and Gary Neffendorf.
Delay Explanation: Administrator Riley explained that the delay in releasing election results was due to a mandatory full hand recount required because the City election was combined with the Found election. The recount concluded at 2:30 a.m. on May 3.
Historical Note: Riley displayed the county's first election book, dating back to 1904, which will be signed alongside the official canvass documents.
Administrative Closing: Administrator Riley noted that the election records will be sealed and kept under lock and key for 60 days, after which they become subject to public information requests.
Remarks from Officials: Mayor Jeryl Hoover expressed gratitude to Administrator Riley and his staff and thanked all candidates for running. Mayor Hoover stated his anticipation of working with Mayor-elect Briley and councilmembers-elect Klein and Neffendorf. Administrator Riley commented that the closeness of the Mayor's race reflected the quality of the two candidates and was not indicative of a divisive campaign.

Key Outcomes

The City Council unanimously accepted the election canvass as presented.
Mr. Briley was formally declared the Mayor-elect.
Tony Klein and Gary Neffendorf were formally declared the Councilmembers-elect.

Meeting Transcript

It's 10 43. I'll call this meeting to order our oral business today. We do have the required presence of city council paper here today. And we have the election official here. We're here to canvas the recent election. Mr. Ronnie. Yes, thank you for the delay. Actually, put two votes in the wrong column. And I didn't want to, those didn't matter, but the spot they went. So if you'll look at the what's on your screen up there in your mayor oral election, Mr. Briley with 1163, 51% would be the declared winner. Go ahead. I see if you can control the mic on the podium, it's a little hot. Thank you. The uh and uh your two council uh chamber members, your new ones, one's not so new, but I won't call you old. And over. No, I'm not uh the top two are uh Tony Klein and Gary Neffendorf. Um the only comment that I have about this for the two one. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for being there the other night, and the fact that the outcome of the election was almost immediately known. Um there's tension in our county uh about that the delay in having these came down to the fact that because we did um one precinct for this election and the found election combined, it didn't give us any grace room on what is required by uh a in an election that is scored electronically, as this one was. Usually you only have to have two or three three precincts and a couple of races. In this case, we did a complete recount of the election hand and count, and we didn't get done till 2 30 or so yesterday, and we had already announced it at two o'clock we were gonna be in anyway. So maybe somewhere at the end of that, those two ballots just got misread in our computer. I have an excellent staff, and they found it while I was sitting beside Tony Klein in the commissioner's court meeting. Uh, and so they've actually corrected what you're looking at is there. The other comment, I don't believe this is my personal comment. I don't believe the closeness of the election reflects anything in the mayor's reflects anything other than we had two good candidates, and when we have people like that wanting to serve, I think that's a good thing. So that's the way I see this election. It wasn't us versus them, and I hope that's that reading is correct. Um questions you might have. Hearing none, no one. So what we have over here, there are two books. The one that's wide open over there that we have a signature sheet that we have asked Mr. Watson and uh Mr. Hooper to sign along with Lenny. I will sign it. It will be attested to by the county clerk, and our seal will be placed on

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Fredericksburg City Council Election Canvass - May 12, 2026

Discussion Items

Election Results Presentation: Elections Administrator Jim Riley presented the certified results. He rectified a minor error involving two ballots that were placed in the wrong column, which did not affect the final outcomes.

Mayor's Race: The official tally declared Mr. Briley the winner with 1,163 votes, representing 51% of the vote.

City Council Race: The top two vote-getters elected to the City Council were Tony Klein and Gary Neffendorf.

Delay Explanation: Administrator Riley explained that the delay in releasing election results was due to a mandatory full hand recount required because the City election was combined with the Found election. The recount concluded at 2:30 a.m. on May 3.

Historical Note: Riley displayed the county's first election book, dating back to 1904, which will be signed alongside the official canvass documents.

Administrative Closing: Administrator Riley noted that the election records will be sealed and kept under lock and key for 60 days, after which they become subject to public information requests.

Remarks from Officials: Mayor Jeryl Hoover expressed gratitude to Administrator Riley and his staff and thanked all candidates for running. Mayor Hoover stated his anticipation of working with Mayor-elect Briley and councilmembers-elect Klein and Neffendorf. Administrator Riley commented that the closeness of the Mayor's race reflected the quality of the two candidates and was not indicative of a divisive campaign.

Key Outcomes

The City Council unanimously accepted the election canvass as presented.

Mr. Briley was formally declared the Mayor-elect.

Tony Klein and Gary Neffendorf were formally declared the Councilmembers-elect.

Meeting Transcript